Customer Reviews

The Hitler Options: Alternate Decisions of World War II

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The problem with the Hitler Options is that it focuses on military logistics to the ignorance of the overall scope of WWII. In describing the plans for SEA LION, the German amphibious invasion of England, the authors list out in meticulous detail the number and commander of the units to be used (i.e. 23rd Waffen SS under Riechsmarshal...), while ignoring the strategic decisions that led Hitler to choose certain options, and whether those could have been changed.

If you'd like to know the individual units the Germans would have used in pursuing, say, a Mediterranean strategy, this book is for you. If you (as I did) want to know WHY the Mediterranean strategy may have been a good option, why it wasn't chosen, and what would be the likely outcomes had it been chosen, look elsewhere.

I have read a few other books that are along this same line of "What if" and I must say that this book has been the most enjoyable. The author / editor (in this case) has asked 10 military historians to work with him to take 10 parts of the war and work out what would have happened if some decisions by either the Axis or the Allies would have been different. The author gives us a good overview of the overall situation in he war at the time of the decision, and a very good case as to what would have happened if just one or two key decisions were different. This is a different handling of the subject then others have done, the normal for this type of book is to just take decisions that were made and completely change them for no regard for if that was even possible. Almost fitting the decision in so that the author can put together a nice fiction story.

What is so interesting is that this could have happened and in some cases almost did happen. The authors use the same players that were involved, the same weapons and resources. It is all put together in a very organized and believable way. The historical detail is well chosen and comprehensive, if you are a general reader this may be a bit much, but then again you probably would not pick this book up. The most interesting parts for me were the invasion of the UK, the changes to the Russian campaign and the change in the D-Day landing location. The author did a good job of completing out the scenarios to what very well may have happened. This is a well written and thought out book that is enjoyable and exciting to read.

This collection of short alternative Historical scenarios is among the very best work turned out in the Alternate History Genre. Each scenario very accurately and carefully depicts the possible outcome of a choice that might have been made. Several of the decisions were also not Hitler's decisions, but those of the allies. The book chronicles: a German invasion of England, a German invasion of the Mediterranean, a consolidated German drive toward Moscow to conquer Russia, a combined German-Japanese operation to link up in the middle-east, a German aerial-naval cooperation effort to win the Atlantic Sea War, an Allied attack through the Mediterranean instead of an attack through Normandy, a German atomic weapons scenario, a Jet Fighter scenario, a continuation of Rommel's strategy in Normandy - leading to a much bloodier Omaha beach, and finally, an allied effort to win the war through the immense morale damage inflicted by the destruction of cities after the fashion of Hamburg. The book is inciteful and inspiring - a real joy to read.

The Hitler Options: Alternate Decisions of World War II, provides an entertaining and thought-provoking glimpse at some of the "might have beens" surrounding the more questionable decisions made by the German High Command during the Second World War. A variety of scenarios are examined, including the much-ballyhooed Operation Sealion, a Mediterranean strategy that could have been decisive, more tightly focussed options during Operation Barbarrosa, and several others.

What makes this book particularly appealing is the approach taken by the author. Kenneth Macksey is a master at providing sufficient detail to satisfy the historically inclined, while maintaining a literary style that is easy for the casual reader to digest. Granted, in certain situations his attention to detail may approach the overwhelming, but he pulls up just in time to keep the story flowing, blurring the line between historical conjecture and plain fun reading.

Much to the author's credit, he takes his various scenarios through to a plausible conclusion, avoiding the tendency of other writers in this genre to leave the reader dangling with only a spate of unanswered questions. At the same time, Mr Macksey takes pains to point out that each of these endings is only one of a near-infinite number of possible results, albeit the most likely one.

Those intrigued by the many vagueries of history in general and the Second World War in particular will never cease to wonder what might have been if only slightly different paths had been taken at critical junctions of the conflict. The Hitler Options provides a number of plausible, entertaining and very satisfying final destinations for those never-trodden paths.

The book is a wondrous collection of Historical "What ifs" which accurately cover the most interesting and curious arenas of the war. Such questions as: What would have happened if Hitler decided to invade England, and could the German army have feasibly defeated Russia, and what might have happened if Germany had ever possessed Atomic technology, are answered. The book is not only inspiring but monumentaly fascinating. It also includes other strategies that the allied powers might have adopted during the war. A must for any interested and knowledgable WWII enthusiast.

A great book to get alternative history information concerning the what ifs of WWII. The only downfall is determining where fact turns to fiction in some cases. Not enough concrete analysis of the potential fiction based on the actual facts. But, overall this is a good book and several chapters are excellent!

By the title of this review, I do not by any means imply that Hitler altered the future in a positive way. However, consider that in each case in this book, had he chosen a different path, the whole war not only may have been different, but may have ended differently. I have always advocated that one of the best ways to learn history is to first read the textbook then read an alternate history. This book fits that bill. If World War II is your particular field of study, or even wargaming World War II, you will find this book fascinating.

Anyone who has studied World War Two no doubt knows just how close Hitler came to achieving his dream of world dominance. 'The Hitler Options' presents in detail how radically different the war could have turned out had Hitler or the Allies made alternate choices in the prosecution of the war. The questions that are posed are: What if the Moscow offensive succeeded? What if operation Sealion had taken place as planned? What if Churchill's fears about the U-boat menace were realized? This is truly a captivating look at what might have been.

If only Hitler had been less orthodox in his military thinking, he might have made some of these decisions, instead of sticking to the bully boy political game of intimidation and blunt use of brutal force that were the hallmark of his bloody career.

In this book we some have well thought out scenerios for what might have been, and their immediate consequences both good and bad.

This book is a good pick for those who wish to look at how the decision making process works when it comes to war. Because history is not just what happened and how it happened, but all the options of what might have happened if different decisions had been made or other factors had come into play.

While this book is of a moderate value for entertainment purposes, I didn't see anything here that was 'revolutionary' in thought. Some 'what if' situations are so fanciful that they border on science fiction.

One chapter discusses what if the Germans had concentrated on taking Moscow instead of advancing along the entire front. Well, what if? Even if Moscow had fallen, the war on the eastern front still would have progressed pretty much like it did. Russia would never had given up simply because Moscow was in German hands. If anything, it would have caused them to fight harder.

An allied invasion into Germany through the Mediterranean instead of in Normandy? Fantasy. First, we attempted this on a small scale (anybody hear of Anzio?) Had the fighting in Italy gone at all well, they would have been marching on Vienna in no time. But the terrain and logistical situation was so poor for successful operations along that approach. Second, hundreds of thousands of men and support equipment would have had to be shipped into North African ports. There weren't sufficient port facilities available in all of Africa to handle the amount of men and material which would have had to flow into the Mediterranean. Attacking through southern France and/or through Greece would have been futile not only because of the severe strain on supplies this would cause (the Allies had enough problems advancing supplies just from Normandy to Paris) but also because advancing troops would have had to fight through very mountainous terrain on their way to Germany. Not even in 1945 with overwhelming superiority in men and material were the Russians able to advance even ten miles against opposition in this terrain.

And the scenario where the Germans succeed in building a nuclear device is so laughable that the author might have well put in a chapter where Martians intervened on behalf of the Germans and used their death rays to reverse the Allies' advances.

And yet another situation suggested massive carpet bombing of all German cities could have won the war by forcing surrender. This is just laughable. The allies had declared any surrender would be unconditional and this was unacceptable to the Germans, thus forcing them into no other option but to fight to the last.

Had the author even included a few reasonable scenarios (such as the allies accepting Germany's conditional surrender in which case they just might have surrendered) this book might have had some value. As it exists, it is only good for a few laughs.